A Monte Vista man with a long criminal history was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to distributing large amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl in Colorado’s San Luis Valley, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Monday.
Blas Villa, 41, admitted to possessing nearly a pound of pure meth and thousands of fentanyl pills during multiple incidents in 2023. According to prosecutors, Villa was a well-known drug dealer in the region. During one August bust, law enforcement found fentanyl, meth, a handgun, five cell phones, a drug-tainted scale, and over $13,000 in cash in a Monte Vista home. A search of Villa’s phone revealed images of him with firearms and photos of pills tracked using a counting app.
Even after being arrested and bonding out twice in state court, Villa continued drug distribution. In November, he was again caught with heroin and meth. A month later, a traffic stop turned up over 2,500 fentanyl pills and more meth.
Villa’s criminal record includes 15 prior convictions, several of them felonies.
“Mr. Villa is a serial offender,” said Acting U.S. Attorney J. Bishop Grewell. “I thank our law enforcement partners for removing him and his deadly wares from the San Luis Valley.”
DEA Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen echoed that sentiment: “Villa consistently brought harm and poison to Colorado… with his sentencing, the state is that much safer.”
Interim Monte Vista Police Chief Tyler Harford credited the work of local detectives and federal partners for getting the dangerous drugs off the streets.
U.S. District Judge Gordon P. Gallagher presided over the sentencing. The case was investigated by the DEA and Monte Vista Police Department, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey K. Graves.
